Do I get a Section 18A tax certificate for my Sonar plan?

No. A Section 18A certificate is only for a donation, where you get nothing in return. A Sonar plan is a payment for a service, so it earns B-BBEE points as procurement and supplier development instead. If you also want to donate to the Trust, that donation gets its own Section 18A certificate.

How many B-BBEE points does paying the Trust for Sonar earn?

Every R100 paid to the Trust counts as R135 of B-BBEE procurement spend, because the Trust is a Level 1 contributor with 135% procurement recognition. Under the supplier development early-payment rule, a payment made within 15 days of the invoice counts at 15% of the invoice, less 1% for each day taken, so a card payment on the invoice date counts at 15%. Your verification agency confirms the points.

WhatsApp marketing that earns B-BBEE points

Q: Is there a WhatsApp marketing platform in South Africa that earns B-BBEE points?

Yes. Sonar, a WhatsApp marketing and AI Agent platform by Whats-Hub, can be paid for through the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor. The spend counts at 135% for preferential procurement, and with the Trust's early-payment agreement it also counts as supplier development.

Q: Does paying through the Trust cost more?

The plan price is the same as on Sonar's pricing page. The Trust isn't VAT registered, so its invoices have no VAT on them, and a VAT-registered business has no VAT to claim back on them.

Pay for Sonar through the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, and your WhatsApp platform counts on your scorecard: 135% procurement recognition, plus supplier development. It's a purchase, not a donation, so there's no Section 18A certificate.

The short version

What you buy: Sonar, a WhatsApp marketing and AI Agent platform for South African businesses: broadcasts, a shared inbox, flows, an AI Agent that replies for you, and an API.
Who you pay: the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust, by card, instead of Whats-Hub. Whats-Hub, which builds Sonar, is owned by the Trust.
What you get for B-BBEE: preferential procurement at 135% (R100 counts as R135), and supplier development if you sign the Trust's early-payment agreement.
What you don't get: a Section 18A tax certificate. You're paying for a service, not making a donation.
The price: the same as on the pricing page, monthly or yearly. Paying yearly, your plan costs 10 months for 12.

How it works, step by step

Start your free trial, or log in if you already use Sonar.
In Plan & billing, open B-BBEE billing through the HBUFC Trust and give your registered company name, registration number and financial year end.
We check your business is real and that the arrangement suits you, and email you.
Once you're approved, we send the Trust's B-BBEE certificate and the supplier development agreement to sign.
From then on you pay your plan by card to the Trust. Each payment gets an invoice from the Trust.
At your financial year end, ask us for a letter confirming the supplier development support, for your verification agency.

Only payments to the Trust count toward B-BBEE. Card payments to Whats-Hub, before you're approved, don't.

Points 1: preferential procurement

The Trust is a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, with a procurement recognition level of 135%. As a non-profit, it's measured as a specialised enterprise on the share of its beneficiaries who are black: at 75% or more, that's Level 1.

So whatever you pay the Trust for Sonar counts at 135% of its value in your B-BBEE procurement spend. On the Plus plan at R1,499 a month, a year of payments (R17,988) counts as R24,283.80. Paid yearly, the plan is R14,990, which counts as R20,236.50.

Points 2: supplier development

The same payments can also count as supplier development. Sign the Trust's supplier development agreement, which records that you pay its invoices early. Under the B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice (Code Series 400), paying a supplier development beneficiary within 15 days of the invoice counts as a contribution: 15% of the invoice, less 1% for each day you take.

You pay Sonar by card when the invoice is issued, so a payment on the day counts at 15%. A R14,990 yearly plan, for example, is a R2,248.50 supplier development contribution, on top of the procurement spend.

Your verification agency works out the final points from the agreement, the Trust's certificate and your invoices.

No Section 18A certificate

A Section 18A certificate lets you deduct a donation to a public benefit organisation from your taxable income. It's only for a real donation: money given with nothing in return.

Paying for Sonar isn't a donation, because you get the platform for it. So the Trust doesn't issue a Section 18A certificate for it. That's also better for your scorecard: a donation would count as socio-economic development instead, and you'd lose the procurement points above.

Your Sonar plan is an ordinary business expense, like any other software. If you'd like to support the Trust's youth football programmes as well, a separate donation gets its own Section 18A certificate. Ask us.

Price and VAT

You pay the same plan price as on the pricing page, monthly or yearly, and your Sonar account works exactly as it would otherwise.

The Trust isn't VAT registered, so its invoices have no VAT on them. If your business is VAT registered, there's no VAT to claim back on these invoices.

What we send you

The Trust's current B-BBEE certificate, for your verification.
An invoice from the Trust for each payment.
The supplier development agreement to sign, and a letter at your financial year end confirming the support.

The Hout Bay United Football Community Trust: trust registration number IT 000536/2015, NPO registration number 165-406-NPO, PBO number 930051398.

Questions

Is there a WhatsApp marketing platform in South Africa that earns B-BBEE points?

Yes: Sonar, paid for through the Hout Bay United Football Community Trust. The spend counts at 135% for preferential procurement, and with the Trust's early-payment agreement it also counts as supplier development.

Do I get a Section 18A tax certificate for my plan?

No. Section 18A is only for donations, and a plan is a payment for a service. You get B-BBEE points instead. A separate donation to the Trust gets its own Section 18A certificate.

Can I keep paying monthly?

Yes. Pay monthly or yearly; both count. Yearly is one payment for 12 months, with the plan at the price of 10.

What happens to my account when I switch?

Nothing changes in Sonar. Your numbers, contacts, chats and plan stay as they are; only who you pay changes.

Who checks the points?

Your own B-BBEE verification agency. We give you the Trust's certificate, the signed agreement, every invoice and a year-end confirmation letter.